AddressEF Educational Tours is looking for a Manager to lead our dynamic On Tour Support Team in Sydney. As the Manager of Emergency Response, you will direct resolution of highly escalated incidents and manage a team of specialists in our South-Pacific office who support our travelers while they are on tour around the globe. Your team will focus on crisis management and responding to a wide range of On-Tour incidents, directly managing emergency-related cases ranging from routine flight disruptions to more serious medical and logistical challenges. The team collaborates closely with our central Safety, Operations and Flights teams to provide an exceptional customer experience for our travelers. The successful candidate is able to both adeptly manage a team in a fast-paced environment and thrive while dealing with ambiguous situations, knowing what information to gather to make decisions and how to effectively communicate with their direct reports, product stakeholders and our travelers.
Responsibilities:
- Directly manage customer communication and case-related decisions for highly escalated incidents including but not limited to serious medical/behavioral health issues, situations involving local law enforcement as well as mass incidents, such as natural disasters and civil unrest.
- Ensure team members are adequately trained and provide excellent support to our travelers, both in routine and escalated cases on a daily basis. A focal point will be driving the team's efficiency, with an emphasis on reaching out to travelers in a timely fashion and resolving situations swiftly with both customer service and budgetary goals in mind.
- Execute all manager-related functions for the team, such as hiring, payroll/administrative tasks and actively providing regular feedback, support and professional development opportunities to the team. In some cases, you will be managing staff in different locations and time zones than Sydney who are working non-traditional business hours.
- Communicate and work closely with the global On Tour Support management team to maintain continuity in mission, strategy, and approach across offices to create a one-team approach for Emergency Response and Customer Service regardless of office or location.
- Collaborate with the other leaders in our Travel and Operations team to proactively ensure a supportive and cohesive traveler experience through materials creation, policy development and system enhancement.
- Take part in the On Tour Support Management Team's after hours/weekend staffing rotation in order to manage escalated cases and ensure the resolution of standard customer service issues.
- Off peak responsibilities include working directly with our Emergency Response Teams affiliated with other EF products, assisting our Operations teams with safety and customer-service related projects and collaborating with other customer-facing functions within the organization.
The Candidate:
- You have an acute attention to detail, stellar judgement and take exceptional pride in being a clear communicator.
- No detail gets past you - Attention-to-detail doesn't properly describe how keen your eye for detail is. Because you know all the ins-and-outs, you're the go-to resource in your department for your peers and colleagues.
- Always a step ahead - You don't take things at face value and are always asking the right questions in anticipation of what could come next.
- Strong and adaptable communication skills - You're an incredible communicator who understands the importance of clear, concise, and factual written communication and you can easily adapt your style to your audience.
- Calm under pressure - You keep an even keel and maintain a clear head when working under pressure. This job isn't for the faint of heart but it doesn't require an adrenaline junkie either, so long as you remain calm, cool, and collected.
- You're in the driver's seat - You can independently identify a need, determine the best approach, activate your resources, and get things done!
The Requirements:
- 2+ years of experience in team management
- 3+ years of experience in a role focused on Emergency Response or escalated customer service issues.
- Proven track record of owning a project or initiative from start to finish and handling sensitive customer communication.
- You're able to identify, navigate, and de-escalate culturally sensitive situations specific to the US and Canadian customer markets, and have strong conflict resolution skills.
- Written and verbal fluency in English
- Ability to work in Australia; this position is not eligible for visa sponsors.
Why you will love working with us:
People at EF make things happen. We encourage you to take full ownership of your work, regardless of your level or experience. EF team members often say we operate like the world's largest startup because this boundless entrepreneurial spirit is built into our organization's DNA.
We also offer among other benefits:
- Flexible Hybrid Work model
- STEP (Staff Travel Experiential Program) As we want our teams to know our product and customer, we offer the opportunity to all our permanent staff to travel yearly on one of our global tours.
About EF Education First
At EF we believe that the world is better when people try to understand one another. Since 1965, we have helped millions of people see new places, experience new cultures, and learn new things about the world and about themselves. Our culturally immersive education programs-focused on language, travel, cultural exchange, and academics-turn dreams into international opportunities.
When you join EF, you join a multicultural and diverse community working across more than 600 schools and offices in 50 countries, all with one shared mission of opening the world through education. Whoever you are, whatever you are passionate about-we welcome you and want you to bring that to work every day. EF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we are committed to inclusion and belonging across race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, caste, parental status, identity, experience and everything else that makes you unique.
Founded in Sweden in 1965, EF has schools and offices around the world, including hubs in Boston, London, Mexico City, São Paulo, Shanghai, Stockholm, Zürich, and more. Learn more at https://www.ef.com.
